Visakhapatnam: More than 15,000 people including Naval and civil officials participated in the marathon organized by the Eastern Naval Command of Indian Navy to commemorate the 5th edition of “Vizag Navy Marathon” at Beach Road in Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
The event was marked by the presence of 20 officials from the Singapore Navy who also participated to celebrate the 25 years of bilateral exercises between India and Singapore, “SIMBEX-18.”
The participants ran in four different categories varying according to the distance ranging from 5-km to 42 kilometers. While the 42-km run is termed as “Courage Run” the 21.1-km run was named “Destiny Run.” “Friendship Run” in which Singapore Naval officers participated was of 10-km and the shortest run was of 5-km, named as “Run for Fun.” A total of 351 runners participated in 42-km “Courage Run.”
The run was organized in association with the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department and the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh.
Chief of the Eastern Naval Command, Karambir Singh told ANI, “The tradition of the Vizag Navy marathon started off in 2014, with a few 1,800 people and it has been growing each year since then. Today, we have around 15,000 people and it is a matter of pride for us.”
The marathon saw participants from different walks of lives including a 95-year-old retired veteran Commander V Sriramulu. The participants also expressed their happiness over participation.
“It is a great activity, and it feels good to see so many people participating in it,” said Commander Smruthi of the Indian Navy. In order for the smooth conduction of the event, the city police restricted the traffic. The traffic police also provided toilet and medical facilities to the participants.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]